The Yoga-Co-Op are a group of 7 yogis and yoginis who have come together to create something beautiful within the Jozi Yoga Community.
All the members of the co-op have an equal share in both the profits and the day-to-day running of the studio. Their small studio in Greenside will be opening on the 1st August. They offer classes in various kinds of yoga and meditation. Student fees are on a donation / dana basis, however they do provide a suggestion of an average fee to donate (depending on the student’s particular circumstances), but they also have a policy of turning no student away. They also allow for bartering of either services or stuff in exchange for yoga classes (meditation classes will be free of charge). Yoga classes can be exchanged for large things like web-site design or even small things like a box of biscuits.
Without knowing how the yoga public are going to respond to the donation structure idea, the entire concept is a bit of a social experiment with no certain guarantees for profits of any kind. The teachers who have agreed to invest time and effort into the co-op (both members of the co-op, and also teachers who have simply agreed to teach at the co-op) are really passionate about the idea of creating something truly wonderful and in the spirit of what yoga is all about. Teachers who are in the co-op will be paid the same as teachers from outside, and whatever is surplus is shared amongst the members of the co-op (if there is any – or maybe they will simply sit together and have tea and biscuits).
Besides their schedule of regular classes, they also do a monthly class on a Sunday called “Seva Sundays” where all the proceeds from donations go to a charity chosen by the teacher taking the class. Teachers from all walks are welcome to participate in Seva Sundays.
The Yoga Co-Op is still looking for teachers to cover some classes, please contact them for more info.
Yoga Exchange Program
In keeping with the spirit of union and community, the Yoga Co-Op has created a Yoga Exchange Program that allows students to take classes (up to a maximum of 4 classes a month) at any other yoga studio taking part in the Yoga Exchange using their existing class cards or monthly packages. The feeling behind the idea is to provide a platform for yogis of all sorts to experience the joy of yoga through all its various styles and teachers, and also to build connections and friendships through the yoga network.
Yoga Exchange students will need to pay an annual admin fee of R50 to join the program. This gets paid to their “Home” studio, the proceeds of which will contribute to discrepancies in fees between various studios. Each month the students will be issued with a Yoga Exchange Card which gets signed or stamped at the visiting studio. This card gets returned to their “Home” studio at the end of the month to have the classes deducted from their package.
If your studio would like to join the Yoga Exchange Program, please feel free to contact The Yoga Co-Op for a chat.
For more information please contact us via any of the platforms listed below:
- Cell Phone: 083 415 5556
- Email: theyogacoopjhb@gmail.com
- Website: yogaco-op.weebly.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Yogacoopjhb